I believe in student-athlete rights.

I believe that before someone is a student-athlete or even an athlete-student, whichever you prefer, they are a person.

I believe that student-athletes are more than dollar signs. They are more than large television and uniform contracts. They are more than the tickets and apparel they sell.

I believe that student-athletes are more than regulation and bylaws.

They are not above regulation, but is it not problematic that they are governed in ways that are convenient for everyone but the athletes themselves? Why can coaches leave as they please to take over other programs without penalty, but athletes are forced to sit years out if they are allowed to leave at all? The most recent of these problematic bylaws is the graduate transfer rule put in place by the SEC conference that prevents such transfers from attending another school within the SEC. Of course, there is a loophole where schools can use a waiver for an athlete who has compelling circumstances surrounding their departure. Basically, this is a way for a coach to let an athlete transfer if the coach wants to, and can say they are abiding by the rules if they are looking to justify blocking a transfer, as is the case with Maurice Smith and Nick Saban currently.

Maurice Smith will walk across a stage in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on Saturday and will officially be a graduate of the University of Alabama. He did what most are not able to do and graduated in only three years. Athletic departments strive to have their athletes do what Smith did, and graduate before advancing to professional leagues. This means that he will have fulfilled his obligation to Alabama. Maurice Smith and his family made the decision to pursue other playing options for his final year of eligibility. They decided that Georgia would be the best place for Smith, both educationally and athletically. Nick Saban, who issued a waiver for a less-valued player to transfer within the SEC earlier this year, not only denied Smith’s waiver but had his locker cleaned out and things are thrown in the garbage. Smith also is no longer listed on the roster on the official Alabama football web page. Is this Nick Saban saying symbolically that if Smith is not a player on his roster, that his value is garbage? It seems so. Saban maintained during a press conference today that they would, “honor the SEC rule,” and not allow Smith to leave. To me, this about anything other than the rule. It is political. He does not want Smith to play for his former assistant. He does not want to create a precedent that says players can leave and go wherever they choose at any time. But Maurice Smith should not be a precedent. He is a person. I do not know what his family background is like, but many athletes come from impoverished communities, with little more than the clothing on their backs. If this is the case for Smith, not allowing him to continue his education or playing career at the school he so chooses, and is best for him, is playing with his future. A coach should not be allowed to play God. Or maybe, it is not about Smith at all, but actually tension between coaches. What possibly could Smith know that Smart does not already know about the Alabama program? Smith should not be used as a suck-it-to-ya between Smart and Saban. Again, he is a real person, and this is a future that will be drastically affected by this transfer situation.

I loved a student-athlete. I loved him when he went to the football program’s lifting and conditioning program at 5 AM every morning in the “offseason.” I loved him when he missed dinner plans when meetings ran long after he had gone to class all day. I loved him when he went to camp for two weeks and the only time I could see him was when practice ended early enough that they could make it back to the hotel for visiting hours, which weren’t actually hours at all, just 30 minutes if we were lucky. I loved him when he hurt his back and we stayed in the hospital until 4 AM, and still loved him when he got up for meetings a couple hours later. I loved him when he scraped together pennies in an effort to get home to see his mother because he wasn’t allowed to work through the year to save up money for plane tickets, nor would time allow, anyway. I loved him when we stayed up through all hours of the night while he watched the film, trying to eliminate every mistake. I loved him when we celebrated Christmas in mid- January after bowl activities had concluded. I loved seeing him run out from the tunnel, and I loved him when I heard his name over the loudspeaker. But I loved him more when I saw his baby pictures. I loved him more when I met his mom and held her hand. I loved him more when I learned of the struggle his childhood. I loved him more when I saw him stay up late editing a paper to earn his goal GPA. I loved the part of him that was an athlete, but I loved him as a person significantly more. I was his biggest fan on Saturday’s, but I was a bigger fan every other day of the week when I was the biggest fan of his life.

Why is it so difficult to see the life behind the jersey? This is not an attack on Nick Saban. It is a plea to everyone involved in college athletics to look beyond the uniform. It is so easy to get caught up in the billion- dollar industry that is college athletics. Collectively, we roll our eyes at the rules, but hardly take into consideration the ways that they affect the lives and futures of 18-23-year-olds. We think about the time commitment involved, but write it off by justifying the education they are getting in place of the things these athletes are sacrificing. We watch 22 people, somewhere between boys and men, running around in a sold out stadium, but the world does not see them hug their moms outside the locker room minutes later. I think it is time to rewind. To slow down and take a deeper look into the why behind rules and regulations. To understand what impact a rule will have on the field, but more importantly in the lives of the athletes off of the field or court. It is time to do what seems impossible, but is certainly most ethical, and place greater value on the rights of athletes than the championships they can win.